Gabon come as the next hurdle for the Eagles to reach the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
The three-time African champions secured their place in the playoff on Tuesday, following their 4-0 thrashing of Benin Republic in their final Group C clash at the Godswill Akpabio International Stadium in Uyo.
Victor Osimhen’s hat-trick and a late strike by Frank Onyeka guaranteed the playoffs for Nigeria. How the playoff works is that the four best group runners-up (Cameroon, DR Congo, Gabon, and Nigeria) advanced to play-offs to determine the sole CAF representative at the inter-confederation play-offs.
The matchups for the semi-final will be based on the 23 October 2025 FIFA rankings, with the highest-ranked side taking on the lowest and the second-highest taking on the third-highest. A total of three matches will be played, all hosted in Morocco.
Consequently, Gabon, being the lowest-ranked side (79) on the continent, will take on Nigeria (45), while the second highest, which is Cameroon (52) taking on DR Congo (60). If the Eagles do well in the playoff, they will represent Africa in the Inter-confederation playoffs, consisting of six teams.
